Lightning still learning to win

By Matt Fotia 

Despite coming into the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball season as the red-hot premiership favourites, the Sunshine Coast Lightning are now locked in a neck and neck battle for fourth place, following a frustrating one goal loss to the Melbourne Mavericks on Saturday night. 

The Lightning led for the majority of the match, holding a three-goal buffer at half time and extending that lead out to a game high of five goals midway through the last quarter, but were unable to hold on to the win. 

Captain Steph Fretwell had the opportunity to win the match in the dying moments, but missed her super shot attempt, keeping the Mavericks well and truly in the finals hunt in the process. 

Fretwell said post-game that if there was more time remaining, she would have passed to Reilley Batcheldor in one point range in an attempt to push the game into extra time but believes the one goal loss is merely a symptom of a much bigger issue. 

“If there was a little bit longer (left), yeah I would’ve passed off and gone for extra time, but I think for us it’s about learning how to win,” Fretwell said following her sides second one goal loss to the Mavericks this season. 

“We’ve had a lot of games this year that we could’ve won, and it’s come down to the wire. 

“I think all of our wins and losses, other than the one in the second round against the Fever, have been under five (goals), so for us in those moments it’s learning how to punish teams.” 

The World Cup winning Diamond is almost on the money.  

The Lightning have been involved in nine games that have been decided by seven goals or less this season, winning three and losing six, including the two one goal losses to the Mavericks, a two-goal loss to the Vixens and a three-goal loss to the Fever. 

Fretwell believes that the Lightning’s poor conversion of turnovers is one of the factors contributing to their disappointing win-loss record, as they fail to put sides away when given the opportunity. 

On Saturday they had a Turnover to Goal ratio of just 57%, opposed to the Mavericks who finished the game with a ratio of 89%. 

“We’ve had enough turnovers to be, even in that first quarter, out by six or seven (goals),” Fretwell said.  

“But we’re letting teams in, and I think that’s a real mentality (thing) for us.” 

Coach Belinda Reynolds echoed her captain’s words, stating the Lightning had spoken about the importance of capitalising on turnovers at the half time break. 

“It’s disappointing,” Reynolds said. 

“We’ve spoken about so many games, (we are) getting in winning positions and not being able to get the job done. 

“We spoke at half time about that turnover to score, we should have punished the opposition earlier in this match. 

“But I think in those last five minutes it’s really (about) going back to controlling the momentum of that game and really winning those moments.” 

Despite the loss, the Lightning are still inside the top four and given their sizeable percentage gap on the Mavericks, remain favourites to grab the final top four place. 

Reynolds said that her players will continue to be brave in their approach as they chase their first finals appearance since 2021. 

“We have to be brave leading into these last two matches, because we haven’t finished the job,” she said when asked about the race for fourth place. 

“We absolutely have the potential to do it and hopefully these learnings from tonight set us up for the last two matches.”